July 24, 2016

July 24, 2016
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Genesis 18: 20-32; Colossians 2: 12-14; Luke 11: 1-13
Prayer is talking with God. During the talking, I may be doing most of the talking, which is usual, but I
find the most productive time with God is when I am just being present to Him. This involves
listening…letting God’s love envelop me…praising God for the wonders and beauty that are catching
my attention at that time. I spent much time in my car and I find my prayer taking different directions:
the rosary…asking for help for those people I see while driving: the poor, the crippled, the maniac
drivers, the people having fun, those enjoying each other’s company…praying for the people I will be
seeing or those I left…those that that have asked me for prayers. Praying is a really a conversation…
talking with God.
I remember when I was in the seminary on Tuesday’s and Friday’s we had the opportunity to go on
‘Church walks’ (visiting neighborhood churches) also after evening meals we could go walking with a
friend around the grounds. What did we talk about…much the same that I find myself ‘talking’ with
God: difficulty with some courses, dreams for the future, problems at home, memories. I find that most
people who share their thoughts on prayer find that their ‘conversations with God’ are very similar with
my ‘walks’. In addition, most people have a collection of prayers cards, exercises, novenas, Divine
Mercy Chaplets, devotions that they have been ‘praying’ for years. I find that it is important that I find
time each day to just sit in front of my favorite crucifix or painting and just look…just be present to
God…just enjoying His company and whatever happens…let it happen. This is much of what is called
contemplation. I also pick out a Scripture passage and place myself in the scene or take time to do
Lectio Divina. The most important recommendation that I share with people is to ‘just do it.’ I ask
people what is their best time of the day…is it morning, evening or what. Take time during the best time
to be with the Lord…and try not to do all the talking or praying all those familiar prayers…try to just sit
and let the Lord be Lord to you. I try to do this and always seem to be drawn back to this time and time
again.
In the first reading from Genesis we hear how Abraham has been entrusted with an important task: to
impress upon his children and his household how crucial it is to live in a right relationship with God.
Abraham takes this opportunity to beg God to care for Lot and his family who live in Sodom. In his
begging he is worried that God will grow impatient or angry with him, but God’s patient and love is far
greater than Abraham had imagined. Luke emphasizes the practice of prayers far more than the other
Gospel writers. He doesn’t emphasize one stye of prayer but shows Jesus at prayer in a wide variety of
situations. Following the prayer Jesus taught, Our Father, Luke shares a somewhat humorous story
telling each of us that we must continue to be persistent. The person in the story got what they wanted
because they were a pest to their neighbor. Luke’s advice is that the one praying should not get
discouraged if prayers seem to go unanswered. God hears…God always loves…God always responds.
In all prayer it is important to know that it is God who has taken the initiative. God has created each
person in love and He knows each of us and hears each of us when we call upon Him. So our first reply
must always be thanks. Msgr. Chet Michael would say constantly: “Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude…and
more gratitude.” But prayer is not only a reply but very frequently petitions. We don't have to look
very far in our lives to see how fragile and weak each of us is…and how much help we need. And we
add the needs of those we love to this. For many people praying means asking and unfortunately they
are unaware of other ways to talk to God. In looking at ourselves we see how incapable we are in living
the life Jesus needs us to live, the people He needs us to be…we are sinners. We might feel that we can
never improve or never be forgiven…not true…we are constantly growing closer to the Lord because
the Lord is helping us…filling us with His grace. A prayer that should be constantly on our lips has
been called the Miserere prayer which is taken from Psalm 51, verses 1-5 and 10-11:
“Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness,
in Your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt, purify me from my sin.
For I am well aware of my faults, I have my sin constantly in mind,
having sinned against none other than You,
having done what You regard as wrong.
You are just when You pass sentence on me,
blameless when You give judgement.
You know I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception.
God, create a clean heart in me, put into me a new and constant spirit,
do not banish me from Your presence,
do not deprive me of Your Holy Spirit.”
Sunday Homily Helps sums up today’s readings beautifully:
“Because God doesn’t need us to tell Him what we need, prayer is not about informing God of our needs.
a) Prayer is more for us than for God. God knows our condition better than we know it ourselves, but He wants
us to express our faith and confidence in Him through persistent prayer.
b) Like Abraham, we are to approach God with a degree of confidence and trust—even when our confidence and
trust leaves much to be desired. God can use whatever little trust we have to bring us to greater faith and
confidence. God is better than our widest imagining. He will not be outdone in generosity and goodness.
TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
As we approach the altar in this Eucharist, we confidently express our faith in the goodness of God who laid down
His life so that we might have eternal life. There is no greater gift than the Eucharist. It is God’s generosity and
goodness at its very best. May we use this opportunity to increase our faith and confidence in God as we make
known our needs and petitions to Him.” So I reflected on:
• How do I describe my prayer life to a close friend?
• Do I always ask for what I want and need or do I ask Go to help me with His will for me? Or a little
of both?
• What do I tell people when they say their prayers haven’t been answered?
• What are the things that interfere with my sitting and being present to God at my best time each day?
Sacred Space 2016 shares:
“The disciples see how vitally important prayer is to Jesus. They want to be able to pray like Him. What we call the
Lord’s Prayer is the model for all prayer because it contains all that Christians need for authentic prayer. I shall
pray it slowly today, as if I were saying it for the first time.
This passage is also a call to perseverance in prayer. It is based on the conviction that the caring, gracious, and
generous Father of Jesus is always attentive to the needs of all who turn to Him in prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you
for teaching us how to pray, just as You pray. Help us always to persevere in prayer and never to lose hope.”